Bouchon’s Aïoli Recipe

Two posts in one night? Well, more like wee hours of the early morning. It’s because I am excited to share the Clams Marinières with Soffritto recipe with you but I first need to explain the Aïoli recipe. Here, Garlic Confit cloves are required, which you can refer to in the last post.

In my opinon, Aïoli is best enjoyed served with some piping hot pomme frites. A good, proper aïoli is creamy, garlicky, but above all, oily. I don’t mean oily in reference to the mouth-feel, but the fresh, green quality of the extra virgin olive oil should be a prominent flavour.

Aïoli has become an underwhelming fad in many restaurants. Unfortunately, many cooks today just throw raw, minced garlic into a jarred mayo and call it aïoli, resulting in an awfully sharp, pungent and acidic dip. You know it’s garlic prepared poorly when you don’t savor the taste that lingers afterwards.They must have little passion or pride in their work because as you will soon see, true Aïoli only requires a handful of readily available ingredients and some whisking.

Ingredients

Several cloves of Garlic Confit
Kosher salt
1 Egg
1 cup of oil from Garlic Confit
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

I made a paste with the garlic cloves by mincing and smashing it together with salt.

Then, I whisked the paste together with the egg in a bowl and gradually drizzled in the oils as I whisked. I placed a towel under the bowl to keep it still and made sure the oil was fully incorporated before I drizzled in more. I’m super paranoid about oil separation but you might not have this problem.

The result is a vibrant, creamy yellow sauce with deep garlic flavor and a smooth olive oil aftertaste. It can keep in the fridge for one week.

Keller suggests using it to flavor soups and stews but of course, there are numerous applications. It would make a great sandwich spread, topping for fish, over hard boiled eggs with some minced chives, or simply smeared on warm bread with an addional sprinking of coarse sea salt.

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